By Steve Hubrecht
The Columbia Valley has a new conservation area.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has added the Geddes Creek Conservation Area (just outside of Radium Hot Springs) to its network of protected areas in the Columbia Valley.
Geddes Creek covers 193 hectares (477 acres) right next to Kootenay National Park. It begins just two kilometres from Radium and stretches north almost to Edgewater.
The area includes Douglas-fir and montane spruce forest and is part of a wildlife movement corridor highlighted as important for at-risk species. It is habitat for grizzly bears, elk, bighorn sheep, mule deer, white-tail deer, American badgers, and Columbia ground squirrels.
“It is smack dab in the middle (of the wildlife connectivity corridor),” NCC Rocky Mountain program director Richard Klafki told the Pioneer. “It bridges the gap between the Columbia Wetlands Management Area, the Rockies, and Kootenay National Park.”
Klafki added that having the property managed as a conservation area will hopefully allow key species to move around more easily and could mean less need for those species to be in or around towns such as Radium.
The area was once part of a very large Christmas tree farm, explained Klafki. Although the tree farm has been defunct for more than 30 years, forests are still much denser on the property than is typical.
“In the next year or so we will do a baseline inventory and that, along with consultation with local First Nations, Parks Canada, and other groups will inform our management plan,” he said.
The NCC is also working on an access management plan to allow walk-in access for the public on pre-existing trails in Geddes Creek.
“The NCC and Parks Canada share a common vision of creating resilient landscapes that deliver lasting conservation outcomes to support the conservation of biodiversity and ecological connectivity around existing national parks. Protecting the Geddes Creek area will improve wildlife corridors for several species, including Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and elk,” said Parks Canada Alberta executive director Melanie Kwong in a press release.
Fish and Wildlife Compensation Columbia region program manager Jen Walker-Larsen said the property is a valuable travel corridor for grizzlies and bighorn sheep, and securing critical habitat is a key step to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by BC Hydro dams.
PHOTO NICK NAULT
